Efficacy of Aromatherapy Against Behavioral and Psychological Disturbances in People With Dementia: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common in people with dementia. Aromatherapy may reduce the frequency and severity of BPSD. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the efficacy of aromatherapy in relieving BPSD and improving functional ability in people with dementia. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients with dementia receiving aromatherapy. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for RCTs published before March 2024 comparing aromatherapy with control treatments in patients with dementia. RESULTS: There were 15 trials involving 821 patients. Overall, significant reduction in BPSD was observed after 1 month of aromatherapy treatment. Among 15 trials, 9 reported the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) score, and 7 evaluated the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score. The meta-analysis showed significant improvement in CMAI score (weighted mean difference [WMD] -6.31, 95% CI -9.52 to -3.11) and NPI score (WMD -8.07, 95% CI -13.53 to -2.61) in patients receiving 3 to 4 weeks of aromatherapy compared with the control group. Four of the 15 trials reported improvement in depressive mood and 3 trials reported no significant improvement in functional ability. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In conclusion, aromatherapy is a safe and viable nonpharmacologic treatment to improve BPSD in people with dementia and its combination with massage showed higher efficacy.

Case Report: A complete pathologic response in pancreatic cancer with squamous cell differentiation.

Primary pancreatic malignancies are mostly composed of the adenocarcinoma histological subtype. However, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) accounts for approximately 0.5%-1% of all malignant pancreatic cancers. Because of the rarity of SCC of the pancreas, guideline-directed treatment is lacking, treatment response is difficult to access, and treatment options are poorly defined. Here, we report a case of a 65-year-old man diagnosed with pancreatic carcinoma with dominant squamous cell differentiation, who achieved complete pathologic response (CPR) after treatment with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel every 14 days for six cycles and who continues to lead a high quality of life 7 months later. To our knowledge, this is the first case of CPR in a case of SCC of the pancreas. To highlight the ambiguity and the need for further studies, we also performed a narrative review analyzing recent cases and compared them to our case.

Heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease identified by neuropsychological test profiling.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly heterogeneous disorder. Untangling this variability could lead to personalized treatments and improve participant recruitment for clinical trials. We investigated the cognitive subgroups by using a data-driven clustering technique in an AD cohort. People with mild-moderate probable AD from Taiwan was included. Neuropsychological test results from the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument were clustered using nonnegative matrix factorization. We identified two clusters in 112 patients with predominant deficits in memory (62.5%) and non-memory (37.5%) cognitive domains, respectively. The memory group performed worse in short-term memory and orientation and better in attention than the non-memory group. At baseline, patients in the memory group had worse global cognitive status and dementia severity. Linear mixed effect model did not reveal difference in disease trajectory within 3 years of follow-up between the two clusters. Our results provide insights into the cognitive heterogeneity in probable AD in an Asian population.

Isolation and Evaluation of the Probiotic Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Pickled Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. et Coss.

The naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria can be isolated from various sources. Pickled Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. et Coss. was used to isolate lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This study was conducted to compare the probiotic properties of probiotics isolated from pickled Vietnamese cabbage with some commercial strains of probiotics available on the Vietnamese market. The results showed that two strains (Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum) isolated from pickled Vietnamese cabbage and three commercial strains of probiotics (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus clausii, Lactobacillus acidophilus) all showed probiotic properties. Probiotic properties were evaluated through the ability to survive in low pH, pepsin, pancreatin, and bile salt media, the hydrophobicity of the bacteria, the antibiotic resistance, and the resistance to pathogenic bacteria. The isolated strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum had fewer probiotic properties than Bacillus subtilis but more than the two commercial strains Bacillus clausii and Lactobacillus acidophilus, and the isolated Lactobacillus fermentum showed the fewest probiotic properties of the five strains.

Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life and associated factors in a low-middle income country.

BACKGROUND: Although breastfeeding is practiced by 98% of mothers in Vietnam, infant breastfeeding behaviors remain far from World Health Organization recommendations and continues to decline. This study aims to explore the prevalence and factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of an infant's life. METHODS: A cross-sectional study utilized a self-administered maternal questionnaire to collect data on 1072 Vietnamese mothers who brought infants aged between 6 and 30 months to a community health centre (CHC) for routine vaccination. Data collection was conducted from March to May 2021 in two cities in Central and North Vietnam. In order to measure exclusive breastfeeding, we asked mothers to recall (yes / no), if the child had received breast milk, formula, colostrum milk powder, water, vitamin / medicine, fruit juice / honey, and complementary foods aged under six months. RESULTS: In the first six months, 14.2% of mothers exclusively breastfed their infants. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between exclusive infant breastfeeding and the highest maternal education level (university or postgraduate) (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.55; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10, 5.91); male infants (aOR 1.72; 95% CI 1.11, 2.68); duration of skin-to-skin contact greater than 90 min (aOR 7.69; 95% CI 1.95, 30.38); receiving first breastfeeding during skin-to-skin contact (aOR 2.31; 95% CI 1.30, 4.10); completely feeding infant directly at the breast (aOR 1.65; 95% CI 1.00, 2.71) and exclusive breastfeeding intention during pregnancy (aOR 2.48; 95% CI 1.53, 4.00). When compared with mothers who were prenatally exposed to infant formula advertising classified as "often", the prevalence of exclusive infant breastfeeding was higher in mothers who classified their prenatal exposure to infant formula advertising as "sometimes" (aOR 2.15; 95% CI 1.13, 4.10), and "seldom" (aOR 2.58; 95% CI 1.25, 5.36). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of mothers who practiced exclusive infant breastfeeding during the first six months in Vietnam was low. Infants should receive early maternal-infant skin-to-skin contact greater than 90 min and complete first breastfeeding during skin-to-skin contact. Further, mothers should be protected against infant formula advertisements to maximise the likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding during the child's infancy.

Identification of a Novel Eight-Gene Risk Model for Predicting Survival in Glioblastoma: A Comprehensive Bioinformatic Analysis.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most progressive and prevalent cancers of the central nervous system. Identifying genetic markers is therefore crucial to predict prognosis and enhance treatment effectiveness in GBM. To this end, we obtained gene expression data of GBM from TCGA and GEO datasets and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were overlapped and used for survival analysis with univariate Cox regression. Next, the genes' biological significance and potential as immunotherapy candidates were examined using functional enrichment and immune infiltration analysis. Eight prognostic-related DEGs in GBM were identified, namely CRNDE, NRXN3, POPDC3, PTPRN, PTPRN2, SLC46A2, TIMP1, and TNFSF9. The derived risk model showed robustness in identifying patient subgroups with significantly poorer overall survival, as well as those with distinct GBM molecular subtypes and MGMT status. Furthermore, several correlations between the expression of the prognostic genes and immune infiltration cells were discovered. Overall, we propose a survival-derived risk score that can provide prognostic significance and guide therapeutic strategies for patients with GBM.

The effect of deproteinization methods on the properties of glucosamine hydrochloride from shells of white leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) / Efeito de métodos de desproteinização nas propriedades do cloridrato de glucosamina de cascas de camarão de pernas brancas (Litopenaeus vannamei) e cascas de camarão de tigre preto (Penaeus monodon)

ABSTRACT: The effect of methods to remove protein content on the properties of glucosamine hydrochloride from the shells of white leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) was investigated. Chitin from shrimp shells was obtained by demineralization in 6% HCl for 12h, deproteinization by two different methods (first group soaked in 8% NaOH for 36h and second group treated in Alcalase enzyme at the concentration of 0.2% for 36h). Two group samples were converted to glucosamine hydrochloride by soaking in 36.76% HCl solution for 5h at 85 °C. The results of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), solubility and recovery yield analysis showed that deproteinization methods did not significantly affect the properties of glucosamine hydrochloride. However, glucosamine hydrochloride from white leg shrimp shells contained higher recovery yield and solubility than black tiger shrimp shells.

RESUMO: Investigou-se o efeito de métodos para remover o conteúdo de proteínas nas propriedades do cloridrato de glucosamina das conchas de camarão de pernas brancas (Litopenaeus vannamei) e camarão de tigre preto (Penaeus monodon). A quitina das cascas de camarão foi obtida por desmineralização em HCl a 6% por 12 h, desproteinização por dois métodos diferentes (primeiro grupo embebido em NaOH a 8% por 36 h e segundo grupo tratado na enzima Alcalase na concentração de 0,2% por 36 h). Duas amostras de grupo foram convertidas em cloridrato de glucosamina por imersão em solução de 12M HCl por 5 h a 85 °C. Os resultados das análises de FTIR, solubilidade e rendimento de recuperação mostraram que os métodos de desproteinização não afetaram significativamente as propriedades do cloridrato de glucosamina. No entanto, o cloridrato de glucosamina de cascas de camarão de pernas brancas continha maior rendimento e solubilidade de recuperação do que as cascas de camarão tigre preto.

The influence of additives on frozen snakehead fish surimi and the application of transglutaminase to fish cakes.

BACKGROUND: The co-product of cultured snakehead fish protein extraction is an abundant source of myofi- brillar protein, with the potential for application in the processing of frozen snakehead fish surimi. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of additives and incubation time on the quality of surimi and surimi-based products. METHODS: Cryoprotectant (a mixture of sucrose and sorbitol at a ratio of 1:1 changed from 2% to 4%), in combination with sodium tripolyphosphate (0.1, 0.15, 0.2 and 0.25%), was added to surimi during its preparation. In addition, the study also investigated the ratio of transglutaminase supplementation (0.5, 0.7 and 0.9%) and incubation time (2, 4 and 6 h) in the processing of high-quality fried fish cakes from frozen snakehead fish surimi. RESULTS: The results showed that, a combination of 3% cryoprotectant and 0.2% sodium tripolyphosphate helped maintain the quality of snakehead fish surimi after frozen storage. In the processing of fried fish cakes from frozen snakehead fish surimi, the addition of 0.7% transglutaminase (0.28 U/g surimi) with 4 h incubation significantly improved the gel properties of the product. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to have appropriate additives and incubation time in the processing of surimi and surimi-based products from the co-product of cultured snakehead fish protein extraction.

A Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Approach to Identify Genetic Determinants of Antibiotic Resistance in Cambodian Helicobacter pylori Clinical Isolates.

We evaluated the primary resistance of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) to routinely used antibiotics in Cambodia, an unexplored topic in the country, and assessed next-generation sequencing's (NGS) potential to discover genetic resistance determinants. Fifty-five H. pylori strains were successfully cultured and screened for antibiotic susceptibility using agar dilution. Genotypic analysis was performed using NGS data with a CLC genomic workbench. PlasmidSeeker was used to detect plasmids. The correlation between resistant genotypes and phenotypes was evaluated statistically. Resistances to metronidazole (MTZ), levofloxacin (LVX), clarithromycin (CLR), and amoxicillin (AMX) were 96.4%, 67.3%, 25.5%, and 9.1%, respectively. No resistance to tetracycline (TET) was observed. Multi-drug resistance affected 76.4% of strains. No plasmids were found, but genetic determinants of resistance to CLR, LVX, and AMX were 23S rRNA (A2146G and A2147G), GyrA (N87K and D91Y/N/G), and pbp1 (P473L), respectively. No determinants were genetically linked to MTZ or TET resistance. There was high concordance between resistant genotypes and phenotypes for AMX, LVX, and CLR. We observed high antibiotic resistance rates of CLR, MTZ, and LVX, emphasizing the need for periodic evaluation and alternative therapies in Cambodia. NGS showed high capability for detecting genetic resistance determinants and potential for implementation in local treatment policies.